Understanding Other People's Personalities - Understanding...

Understanding Other People’s Personalities Adapted from: Howard & Howard, The Owner’s Manual for Personality at Work. How to Quickly Figure Out a Person’s Personality Characteristics We are rarely able to administer a personality test to someone whose personality characteristics we are interested in knowing. However, you can often determine a rough estimate of someone’s personality by observing their behavior and looking for behavioral clues. The following table summarizes several such clues that have been identified in personality research. Clues for Estimating Someone’s Personality (on the Big 5 Dimensions) Dimension Behavior Language Environment Higher than average Openness Is curious about a wide range of topics Is easily bored Is more likely to change careers repeatedly Is less bound by rules Is more playful Responds to unusual humor Uses more colorful language Uses more hand gestures Language is more future oriented Talks and thinks in terms of concepts Emphasizes uniqueness of things Has unusual furniture and décor Has stacks of books and papers Frequently reorganizes work space Prefers to work on a variety of projects Lower than average Openness Is punctual Tends to go by the rules Has a narrower range of interests Is committed to only one career path Appears more serious Shows litter interest in the arts Prefers the familiar over trying new things Responds to more mainstream humor Expresses more conservative

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